Stories from 11 January 2011
Nepal: Miss America To The Rescue
Laura Agustín at The Naked Anthropologist , writes about the efforts of Miss Michigan Katie LaRoche, a participant in the Miss America pageant, to rescue victims of sex trafficking in Nepal. LaRoche has launched her own organization One World.One Future to raise awareness against trafficking and slavery.
Algeria: Is Revolt Contagious?
After Tunisia, now Algeria has seen a week of riots and violent encounters between youths and the forces of order. The unrest is motivated by sharp increases in prices since January 1 on basic goods.
Honduras: Kidnapped Leader of Peasant Movement Escapes
Honduras Culture and Politics reports: “The good news came through late yesterday: Juan Chinchilla, kidnapped leader of the peasant movement under attack in the Bajo Aguan, was free.” Chinchilla is also a leader of the National Popular Resistance Front.
China: Microbloggers meet their maker, but is he the only one?
Writer Ran Yunfei examines the scorching welcome China's most public Internet censor received when he tried to start microblogging last month, and looks at what this means for the future of companies hosting such services as well as despised government officials themselves.
Kenya: Experiences from my prostitution world
Nairobi Nights is a blog by a Kenyan prostitute, Sue: “These are thoughts, observations and experiences from my prostitution world.”
Sudan: My favourite African country about to split
Southern Sudan Independence referendum: Alun McDonald is sad to see his favourite African country, Sudan, about to split.
U.S.V.I.: Ferry Challenges
“It's been a tough couple of weeks for ferries at Enighed Pond”: News of St. John explains.
Cuba: Decree 217/97
Laritza's Laws blogs about the fallout from Decree 217/97, “a rule that turns a Cuban into an illegal in his own country.”
Jamaica, Barbados: Caribbean Tales in Bim
Geoffrey Philp reports that Barbados will host this year's CaribbeanTales Film Festival.
Barbados: “Provoked” to Murder?
Barbados Free Press and Barbados Underground are outraged that a dangerous precedent has been set by the Director of Public Prosecutions’ recent decision to “[drop] a charge of murder to manslaughter because the murdered woman had refused sex and therefore ‘provoked’ her killer.”
Jamaica, U.S.A.: The Tucson Attack
Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac is “dumbstruck and saddened…[by] the weekend’s shootings of Congressional representative, Gabrielle Giffords, and the killing of six other people in that attack in Tucson.”
Côte d'Ivoire: The Quest for Normalcy and the Colonial Conundrum
Often portayed as living in a country on the brink of civil war, Ivorian citizens are trying hard to disprove this fatalistic narrative in the traditional media by calling for peace. Bloggers are also debating the role of the international community and the possibility raised by Gbagbo of a new, independent currency following Chavez's model in Venezuela.
Sudan: Can Southern Sudanese Learn from East Timor?
What would those who voted in Timor’s 1999 referendum for independence tell those voting in south Sudan?
Sudan: How come #SudanRef is not trending?
Nobody cares about Sudan?: “How come #SudanRef is not trending? The biggist state in Africa is splitting and nobody cares or what? Silly! #SudanRef #Sudan”
Thailand: The Red Shirt protesters are back
The Red Shirt anti-government protesters in Thailand mobilized thousands of their members in central Bangkok as they continued to press their demand for more democratic reforms in government. Police estimated the crowd at 30,000 but rally organizers claimed they gathered 60,000 in the streets.
Botswana: Best Botswana Photo of 2010 Contest
Vote in Best Botswana Photo of 2010 Contest organised by Botswana Tourism.
Uganda: Uganda Watch 2011
Uganda Watch 2011 is a website created to provide Ugandans with a way to share their observations about elections. Citizens can SMS 6090 to report election abuses or ask questions.
Lebanon: Bloggers Support Tunisian Protests against “Arab Pinochet”
Lebanese bloggers have joined the chorus of concern over the Tunisian riots that have thus far claimed 24 lives. Sympathy and support is extended to the Tunisian youth protesting the authoritarianism, corruption, and poor economic management of President Zine el Abidine ben Ali, dubbed the "Arab Pinochet" by Lebanese blogger, the Angry Arab.
North Korea: Public Complaints Continue to Mount
North Korean insiders have reported that in the midst of ongoing food shortages and with the succession in progress, more North Korean people are expressing their complaints about Kim family, wrote[ko] Daily NK, a Seoul-based North Korean think tank and online media.
El Salvador: Top Stories of 2010
Tim's El Salvador Blog shares a roundup of what Tim considers the top stories of 2010 from El Salvador.
Argentina: Writer and Musician María Elena Walsh Dies
Argentinian writer and musician María Elena Walsh died at age 80 on January 10, 2011. Argentinians remember her children's books and songs; in the blog Botica Cultural [es] Guadalupe Sánchez posted pictures of two cassettes by María Elena Walsh she listened to as a child.
